The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-23
STUDY OF MESMERISM.
some VERY CURIOUS EXPERIMENTS
MADE 1T THE CAPITAL.

audience Among others present were
Postmaster General Villas ana his family,
/ Senator Ingalls, Senator Plat, Of Con
! necticut: Gen. A. W. Greedy and lis wife,
| Admiral and Mrs. Russell, Mr. Coleman,
the commissioner Of agriculture; Col
Nicolay, marshal Of the United States SUI
premc couri; Gen. Bryant, assistant at
| torney general. Professor Thompson, Of
the geological survey, and a number Of
other scientific gentlemen and physicians.
Before beginning his experiments Mr..
| Croflnt explained that he had been very
much interested in reading, in Paris let
tiers, Of the experiments conducted by Drs.
Charcot and Luys in Europe.
yICARIOUs CEnuNALITY.
Mr. Croffut remarked that the expert
mentation with dangerous drugs and
medicated compounds under scientific
conditions would be postponed to another
evening. but he would Immediately make
tests as 70 the yicariOus commission OF
crime After performing some minor eX
periments and getting his subjects into a
| good condition, Mr. Croffut attempted the
feat of compelling fellow being to COM
init a crime by the force Of his own Will,
|
One Of the subjects, a young woman EN-
| plOyed in the government printing oihce,
was told TO 60 into the audience and pick
| the ladies pockets She manifested great
| horror Of the act and refused, but BY an
! imperative command the mesmerizer in
duced her to comply, and without much
display Of ingenuity she got phantom
purse, not a real one, from Mrs John G.
| Fremont The experiment was not salts
| factory az TO the practical employment OF
al agent
Another sensitive clerk in a depart
| ment. was mesmerized, and Mr.. Cr0hut
! explained 10 him that in a house Of one
of the neighbors, in an upper chamber, in
a certain corner and a certain drawer in
the dressing case was a pocketbooa which
contained s. 600 He described the stu
alton OF the house ninutely, the way ~
| 20 there. the arrangement Of the dressing
case and so on, repeating it over several
times until the subject had the geography
impressed upon bis mind Then handing
him two keys he said
The larger key will open the front
door Of the house and the smaller key viii
open the drawer Of the dressing case Ia
which the pocketbook will be found. '
He told the young man that if he would
steal that pocketbOOk he would give him
the money. There was a good deal Of dis
cussion between the mesmerist and his
| subject concerning the liability of discOy-
cry and arrest, but when assured that
| there was not the slightest possibility Of
anybody interfering with him, and that
there were no dogs about the place. he
consented 10 undertake the burglary
Fonr or five gentlemen ia the room were
asked 10 follow the subject on his trip.
Due arrangements had previously been
made with "A neighbor 10 place the pocket
book in the situation described. The
Young man ran out into the street, turned
the corner, and when he came 10 the
house described by Mr. Croffut recognized
it at once by the description. He then
began to show the greatest degree Of agi-
tation, looking neryously behind all the
tree boxes and around the corners, and
finally Jumped over the fence, saying to
those who accompanied him as pals -
of whose presence he seemed only half
conscious-that he did 50 lest the gate
should make noise.
NERVOUS AND CAUTIOUS.
When he reached the porch his nervous
ness seemed TO increase, as well as his
caution: but he unlocked and opened the
| door quietly, crept into the hallway
| looked round all the corners and into all
the rooms, found his way up stairs into
the apartment described, drew out the
key. unlocked the drawer indicated and
found the pocket book. He was starting
away with it, when one Of those who &C
! .4.r4l 4eI al "a -
fact that he had left the drawer open, and
that he had better restore things as he
| found them He replied that that was a
good idea, and doing 50, put the Key in
his pocket He then crept around the
room, looking into other places, and when
asked why he did so, replied that ne was
| looking for something else he could steal
| One of the party suggested 10 him that IL
was had place to steal anything but
money, for jewelry could be traced While
money could not. This seemed 10 strike
him az sensible, and he remarked that the
| pocket book was full VI bills, and he had
| better be satisfied with what he had got
| Then he crept down stairs with great
caution, shut and locked the front door
carefully after him, and reaching the
street started TO run like a frightened
deer One Of his attendants caught him
by the arm and asked him where he was
going. lie said he was going home, but
the attendant suggested lac must return
to Mr. CrolIut's house and give him his
share Of the money The mesmerlzed
thief stopped moment and said; Yes,
| It would be mean not 10 give him his
share; he put US on TO the job we Will so
back and deal square with him"
lie returned 10 Mr. Croffuts house,
handed that gentleman the pocket book
and counting out $4,000 in imaginary
money, divided it equally between the
| two.
This experiment seemed to demonstrate
that. proper conditions existing, crime
may be committed second hand through
mcsmeric influences.
With another subject Mr.. CrofIut was
not so successful lie convinced young
man that his brother had been killed by
an Indian, whom he was advised TO muir
der in revenge, and was told that he could
find him on the Capitol steps. The sensi-
| tive, though generally obedient under
mesmeric influences, refused 10 believe